Automatic headlight-adjusting apparatus.



H. M. HERROLD & O. 1?. RHOADS. AUTOMATIG HEADLIGHT ADJUSTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 21,1911

Patented July 25, 1911 2 SlEETS-SKEET 1.

fi? mam iCP/Z/s Zia/Md H. M. HERROLD & G. P. RHUADS. AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHTADJUSTING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 313.21, 1911.

998,846. A v Patented July 25, 1911.

v 2 SHEETSSFIF-ET 2.

r p i HERSCHEL IVI. HERROLD AND CRESSE P. RHOADS, OF KANSAS CITY,KANSAS.

w l it. it Jilin AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT-ADJUSTING APPARATUS.

one. 486%.

Application filed February 21 Specification of Letters Patent.

, 1911. Serial No. 810,059.

To all whom may concern.

lie it known that We, llnusonni. M. now and CRESSE l. llnoxns. citizenso" i nited States, residing at .Kansasta the county of lVyandotte andState of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful improvements inAutomatic Headlight- .ldjustin r Apparatus, o't which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to automatic headligj htadjusting apparatus andis designed more especially for use on automobiles, our object being toproduce means which. can be remlily and cheaply applied to anautomobile, will operate efliciently and reliably and embodies thedesirable features of simplicity, strength, durability and cheapness ofconstruction.

"With this object in view the invention coir sists in certain novel andpeculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafterdescribed and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understoodreference is to lee-had to the accompanying drawings, in whichl ip'ure1, is a side view of the front end of an automobile equipped withapparatus embodying our invention. Fig. 2, is a top plan ot the same.Fig. is a vertical section on he line lllIll of Fig. 2. Fig. l, is anenlarged View partly in plan and partly in central, horizontal section,of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 5, is .a cross section on a stilllarger scale, taken on the dotted line V oi Fin". t.

in the said drawings 1 indicates the parallel longitudinal beams of thechassis,2 the radiator and 3 the front wheels of an automobile.

t are the customary steering knuckles pivoted to opposite ends of thestationary axle I 6 are arms projecting rearward from the steeringknuckles and connected by a transverse rod 7.

8 is an arm projectingforwardly and inwardly from one of the knuckles.9'is a rod connecting said arm with the depending crank arm 10 of ashaft 11, adapted to be turned. by the manipulation of the steamingwheel. {not shown) of the machine, all ol the parts thus 'ar describedbeing of common and well known construction and ar rangement.

1.2 are bearings secured to the trout ends of beams l and verticalshafts or pivots mounted in said bearings and equipped with thecustomary brackets 14 carrying the lamps l5, constituting the headlights, and projecting rearwardly from the upper ends oi the shafts orpivots 13 are arms 16.

1? isa tube extending transversely of the machine and in most casesarranged above the beams l and adjacent to the radiator 2. At one endthe tube terminates in an elbow 18 and said.,end is closed by a cap 19.;

2O isa clamp inqunted on arm 10 of shaft 11. and pivoted at its rear-endtosaid clamp is a link :21 pivoted at its front end to a rod 22,extending slidingly through cap 19, into the elbow-shaped end of tube17. Said rod terminates at its front end in a threaded head orenlargement E23 and secured upon said head is a cap 24 to which isfirmly attached the rear end of a cable 25, or any equivalent devicewhich will not shorten under a reasonable application ot' force appliedendwise upon it. This cable its loosely in the tube and secnred rigidlyupon it at opposite sides of and. equal distances from the longitudinalcenter of the machine,

are collars :26 which are capable of sliding endwise in the tube 1.7 butare incapable of movement in any other direction.

28 are clamping screws extending through the collars and impinging onthe :able to fasten said parts rigiilly together, and the collarsarcprovided with wide horizontallyarranged heads 29, which lit slidingly inthe slot in the forward side of tube 17, extend in from a point adjacentto the elbow through the body of the tube to the ext ren1- it v thereof,and normally closing, said end is a removable cap 31.

For supporting the tube 17 in place. we employ a pair of collarsBZ whichfit tightly on said tube and are carried by horizontally arrangedU-shaped clips 33 fitting upon beams 1 and secured rigidly thereon byset screws 34.

The connections between the endwise mov able part or cable and the arms16 of the lamp yoke is by means of links 35 which are pivoted atthcirrear ends to the heads 29 of bolts 28, and'at their front ends to saidarms '1 6.

To avoid any possibility of the flexible Patented July 25, rear...

part 25 buckling under eudwisc pressure applied upon it, it is necessaryto provide being capable of sliding within the tube with the endwisemovable part or cable.

it being assinned thatthe collars have been secured on the cable at theproper points, the cable equipped with the cap 2st is slipped into thetube through the right hand end of the same that the heads 29 of thescrews shall enter the slot 30. The cable is moved until the cap 24projects beyond the opposite end of the tube and then the head of rod 22screwed into the cap and pivotally attached to the clamp. The caps '19and 31 are then screwed on the ends of the :tube and the links 35 arepivotall-y connected to the collars. When the teering wheel is operatedto turn the machine to the right arm 10 swings forward and in suchmovement through the connections described. imparts endwise movement tothe cable in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 2, so that theconnections between the cable and the lamps shall cause the latter toturn in the same direction as the wheels and thus illuminate the pathwhich the machine will follow, this projection of the light, not onlyenabling the person in charge of the machine to see ahead of him butalso warning any one around the turn that the machine is approaching.When the steering wheel is turned in the opposite direction to turn themachine to the left, the endwise movement of the cable is reversed andthe lamps'are caused to face to the left.

From the above description it will be apparent that we have produced anautomatic headlight adjusting apparatus embodying the features ofadvantage enumerated as desirable and we wish it to be understood thatwhile we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of theinvention we wish it to be understood that we reserve the right to makeall changes properly falling within the spirit and. scope of theappended claims.

1. The combination with an automobile having a depending swinging arm, aheath light and a laterally-movable supporting bracket for theheadlight, of a tube extending transversely of the machine and.providcdwith a slot and terminating. at one end in a curved portion, anendwise-slidable device in said tube, a par secured to said device,means rigid with said part and slidable in said slot, amovement-transmitting connectionbetween said means and said bracket, andconnections between said dehaving a depending swinging arm for movementin a plane parallel with the longitudinal center of the machine, aheadlight and a laterally-movable supportlng bracket for the headlight,of a tube extending 'trans-' versely of the machine and provided with aslot and terminating at one end in a rear-- wardly curved portion, anendwise slidable device in said tube, a collar on said device, meansrigid with the collar and sli 'labie in said slot, anobliquely-extending link pivotally connecting said means and saidbracket, a suitably guided rod projecting into the curved end or" thetube, and a link pivotally connecting said rod and said swinging arm.

3. The combination with an automobile provided with a headlight pivotedfor l: 'eral movement, of a suitably supported tube extendingtransversely of the machine and provided with a longitudinal slot andwith a rearwardly curved end, a rod projecting into the curved end or"the tube, a flexible device extending slidingly through the tube andattached at one end to said rod, a collar fitting slidingly in the tubeand upon said flexible device, a part rigid with the collar fittingslidingly in said slot, a spacer fitting slidingly in the tube andaround the said flexible device and movable endwise therewith, mcanspivotally connected to the headlight and said collar, and means to movesaid rod endwise in one direction or the other.

-'l-. The combination with an automobile provided with a pair ofheadlights pivoted for lateral movement, of a suitably-supported tubeextending transversely of the machine and provided with a longitudinalslot, an endwise slidable device in said tube,

a pair of collars fitting slidingly in the tube and rigidly upon thesaid device therein, means rigid with the collars and slidable in theslot of the tube, means for imparting endwise movement to the Saiddevice in one direction or the other, and means whereby movement of thecollars with the said device shall turn the headlights simultaneously inthe same direction. 7

In testimony whereof we atlix our signatures, in the presence of twowitnesses.

HERSCHEL M. IIERROLD. CRESSE P. RHOADS.

Witnesses:

FRANK R. GLOVE, G. Y. Trronrn.

